Catherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII,
outlived his king and went on to marry Sir Thomas Seymour, Lord Sudeley. She
held the distinction as the first English queen to publish two materials under
her name, promoting Protestant views.
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| Catherine Parr, Queen of England and Baroness Seymour of Sudeley |
The first of the two books, Prayers or
Meditations, was published in 1545, and became a best-seller of its day, having
been reprinted 19 times until 1595.
Recently, original manuscripts of Prayers or
Meditations, and another book, went out for public display at Sudeley Castle in
Gloucestershire.
The exhibit also highlights Catherine’s love
letter with Lord Sudeley.
In one of the letters, Seymour begged for Lord
Sudeley to see her: "When it shall be
your pleasure to repair hither you should take some pain to come early in the morning,
that you may be gone again by seven o'clock.” Sadly, she died a year after
marrying Lord Sudeley, while giving birth. She is the only queen to be buried
in private residence.
Historian
Dr. David Starkey considered Catherine Parr as one of the most important of
Henry VIII’s queens.
"She was a queen with a mission. There is no doubt that
Elizabeth I gets much of her confidence in ruling from watching Catherine act
as Queen Regent when Henry is in France," he said.
"Elizabeth also learns much of her religion - the
Protestant religion - from Catherine.
"In many ways Catherine is responsible for what makes us
English, for what is the beginning of our English empire."
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